04/14/08

GONE!

by MrWhoJD

DEAD!!

This restaurant is closed, gone, dead, finished, empty, out of business, no longer there, missing, history

05/31/07

Always a great meeting spot

by dayglo

It's easy to find and always fun to hang out at. Parking can be a challenge - you just have to find a meter. The staff is friendly and even though it's always packed, you always get served promptly.

• Pros: Great Ambience
• Cons: Parking

05/04/07

Not a coffee lover's destination

by aaron79xy

CitySearch's editorial mentions that Coffee Table buys their beans from Crimson Cup, a roaster here in Columbus. That has not been the case for several years. They currently are still purchasing beans from the Cleveland-based Caruso's Coffee. I have worked in the coffee industry for several years, and I can say with authority that this roaster's coffee is significantly inferior to Crimson Cup. Whereas Coffee Table used to offer a rotating, widely-varied daily coffee selection, including many magnificent single origin coffees, once they went to Caruso's they limited their selection to a narrow choice of blends. Their house blend remains a moderately acceptable choice, a light roast that is heavy on one or more Northern Ethiopian coffees, giving it a sweet, chocolatey taste. However the other coffees offered, such as the Vienna Roast, are bitter and tepid. I do not offer an opinion on the flavored coffees, as it is industry standard that flavored coffees are comprised of second-grade Colombian coffee for the very reason that flavoring agents will mask any defect in the brew. Their espresso pales in comparison to their former choice, Crimson Cup's Armando's Blend, whose sweet, nutty, and ultra-smooth flavor is widely recognized as one of the finest espresso blends available.

Coffee Table has recently come under new ownership, and among the changes seen so far is the installation of a credit card terminal. This is a change that while especially costly to small businesses, is essential to maintain a competitive footing with other shops. Further "big changes" are promised by signage put up at the store in April, 2007, and it is this neighborhood coffee-lover's great hope that one of those is going back to the beans they used before the shop's decline.

• Pros: Atmosphere, veteran staff
• Cons: Poor coffee, no newspapers for purchase, no air conditioning.